Today, we’d like to introduce you to Eric Elkins.
Hi Eric, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Way back in 2007, things went sideways at the startup where I was working, and I decided to just do my own thing for a while. I’ve told the story of how my company WideFoc.us came to be many times, but the take-home message is that I was tired of being at the mercy of leaders who didn’t know what they were doing, and wanted the autonomy to work where and when and on what I wanted to.
Also, it was summer in Denver and I just wanted to sit on coffee shop patios with my laptop and a dirty chai. Another office job sounded soul-sucking.
I didn’t know what I was getting myself into. Fortunately, I had some strong guidance along the way, learned from my mistakes (usually!), and found good people to help grow my agency.
17 years later, we have a strong team and clients we love. I don’t really have the same autonomy anymore, because I’m a servant leader focused on keeping our crew growing and thriving. But I still have a lot of freedom — like being able to work from anywhere and choose our clients carefully.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Most of our struggles were self-inflicted in the early years, as I learned how to run a business — whether it was saying goodbye to talented people because of poor management, struggling with delivery and learning to develop processes to retain clients, or missing out on opportunities because we didn’t recognize them, most of the mistakes came down to me.
I’ve worked hard to build trust with my team and our clients, listening to their feedback and taking responsibility for my choices, and that has allowed us to weather more recent storms that were not of our creation. Covid and the financial aftermath had a serious impact on our business, but we dialed into what we do best and powered through, providing hands-on customer service and a responsive, effective social media strategy.
Sometimes, you need a team that trusts you enough to tell you when you’re screwing up and believes you when you thank them for their candor. I’m grateful that I have people who can tell me when I’m being a dumbass.
Thanks for sharing that. Maybe you can tell us a bit more about your business next.
For nearly 17 years now, we’ve helped brands grow by managing their organic and paid social media. Our team-based approach means our clients’ social media never gets sick and never goes on vacation. And as a real-time social media agency, we monitor for questions, comments, and feedback while engaging with potential customers. Our paid campaigns drive ROI and our influencer marketing projects generate real visibility and high-quality content.
B2B and B2C brands trust that their social media is consistent and strategic day after day, week after week. Social media can be a serious slog, but with the right partner agency, it doesn’t have to be. We take pride in the quality of our content and in the close collaboration we share with our happy clients.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting?
Starting a business is HARD. You may be good at a few things, but you’ll have to learn how to handle ALL the things. The smartest decisions you’ll make will be when you ask for help or delegate tasks to people who have the skills you don’t.
I wish I’d known in the beginning how to couch feedback in ways that allowed the person to hear it.
Starting out with authentic compliments, then moving into constructive guidance about what went wrong, and really listening to the other person’s challenges and perspective is something I had to learn along the way. When you’re a coach rather than a boss, everybody grows stronger.
And listen. Really listen.
Pricing:
- Retainers start around $5,000/month
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.widefoc.us/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericelkins/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericelkins/
- Other: https://denverlicious.com
